Peace loving Gandhi to have a statue in Parliament Square, ministers announce... after hailing £250m arms deal with India | Daily Mail Online Peace loving Gandhi to have a statue in Parliament Square, ministers announce... after hailing £250m arms deal with India Statue of Gandhi a 'fitting tribute to democratic India' says Osborne Announcement made on Government trade mission to Mumbai and Delhi Comes after ministers announce air-to-air missile deal with Indian Air Force Gandhi statue be placed next to British war leader Sir Winston Churchill Former Prime Minister dismissed Gandhi as a 'nauseating' fraud comments Mahatma Gandhi, pictured in 1940, was the leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. He used the tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience to win independence A statue of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi will be erected outside Parliament, George Osborne has announced today. The Chancellor, in New Delhi with Foreign Secretary William Hague, said it would be a fitting tribute to the 'father of democratic India'. But the decision to honour the 20th Century's most famous pacifist came just 24 hours after the Government announced a £250million arms deal with India.

Mr Osborne confirmed a deal to provide air-to-air missiles for the Indian Air Force in a joint venture between BAE Systems, the Franco-German group Airbus and Finmeccanica of Italy. The two Cabinet ministers are also promoting the sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, which is partly built in Britain. India is looking to buy 126 fighter jets and had identified the French Rafale as its preferred choice. Yet repeated delays on signing the deal have left Britain hopeful that India may yet opt to buy the Typhoon. Tushar Gandhi, a social activist and the great-grandson of the independence leader, said it was ironic the ministers had announced plans for the statue during a visit partly taken up with promoting weapons sales. He said: 'It’s a nice way to apply a soothing balm to their consciences, to raise a statute. How can anybody say they approve of this?' But Mr Osborne wrote on Twitter: 'Gandhi was father of democratic India. Can announce we'll honour his memory with statue in front of mother of parliaments in Parliament Sq.' The statue will stand alongside monuments to other statesmen including Nelson Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln in the square.

The Government hopes the statue will be erected next year, funded by charitable donations and sponsors, with leading sculptor Philip Jackson approached to take on the project. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Mr Hague said: 'Gandhi's view of communal peace and resistance to division, his desire to drive India forward and his commitment to non-violence left a legacy that is as relevant today as it was during his life. 'He remains a towering inspiration and a source of strength. We will honour him with a statue alongside those of other great leaders in Parliament Square.' Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, who is leading a special advisory group to support the project, said: 'My parents were born in British India with first-hand experience of partition. The effect it had on millions of people contributed to my decision to take up public service. 'Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's reverence and greatness, a man who fought equally for everyone, in the form of a statue in Parliament Square is a fitting tribute.

No matter what your background, history or religion, this statue will allow people from around the world to look upon him and appreciate his endeavour and successes for humanity.' The Chancellor and Foreign Secretary are in India meeting key players in the administration in New Delhi - including recently elected prime minister Narendra Modi - as well as leading business figures. They are following in the footsteps of a series of foreign visitors - including the French foreign minister and the Russian deputy prime minister - who have arrived to pay court to the new premier since his landslide victory in May. Parliament Square in London is home to a number of statues of politicians, including Sir Winston Churchill (above), US President Abraham Lincoln and former Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George Foreign Secretary William Hague and the Chancellor George Osborne, pictured in India yesterday, praised Gandhi as a 'towering inspiration' Mr Osborne said India was 'on an exciting journey of reform' under Mr Modi's new government. 'I believe there to be no more reliable companion on that journey than the UK,' he said. Speaking in Mumbai yesterday, he said: 'To adopt a phrase from Prime Minister Modi: good days are coming for the India-Britain relationship. 'Good days are coming for the investment we make in each other's economies.

'Good days are coming for the trade between our two trading nations. 'Good days are coming for the financial partnership we can forge to build, literally, the infrastructure of the future." He set out ambitions for London to play a leading role as a gateway for Indian firms to access global capital markets. New Gandhi statue unveiled in London's Parliament Square | World news | The Guardian Mahatma Gandhi New Gandhi statue unveiled in London's Parliament Square Unveiling of new statue marks 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India to start the struggle for independence from British rule Gandhi’s grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, at the unveiling of a new statue by British sculptor Philip Jackson. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP Saturday 14 March 2015 08.35 EDT Last modified on Saturday 14 March 2015 14.39 EDT Share on Messenger Close A new statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been unveiled in London’s Parliament Square to mark the 100th anniversary of his return to India to start the struggle for independence from British rule.

The prime minister, David Cameron, and India’s finance minister, Arun Jaitley, were joined on Saturday by Gandhi’s grandson, the former governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, and Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan for the inauguration ceremony. Cameron described Gandhi as “one of the most towering figures” in political history. “By putting Gandhi in this famous square we are giving him an eternal home in our country. This statue celebrates the incredibly special friendship between the world’s oldest democracy and its largest, as well as the universal power of Gandhi’s message,” he added. Jaitley unveiled the 9ft statue opposite the Palace of Westminster, near statues of former US president Abraham Lincoln, South African leader Nelson Mandela and prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, who opposed Indian independence and Gandhi’s aims. “It ... marks an important, historic moment celebrating the strong bond between our two nations,” said Jaitley. “India and the UK share the same values and we are a partnership of equals. This lasting friendship is just one of many legacies left by Gandhi.” Priti Patel (@pritipatelmp) Delighted to be at #GandhiStatue unveiling.

Fitting tribute to his memory in Britain & to our friendship with India pic.twitter.com/dT5RFwBiPq March 14, 2015 The statue is lower than others on the square, a deliberate decision made by the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust, which raised money for the monument, to reflect the fact that Gandhi considered himself a man of the people. The sculpture was created by Philip Jackson, inspired by a 1931 photo of Gandhi at No 10 Downing Street, where he met the then prime minister Ramsay MacDonald. Cameron said about Gandhi’s trip to London: “On that same visit, he also went to see King George V. Arriving bare-chested in his dhoti, and marching ahead with his stick, he was asked if he felt under-dressed. He replied: ‘The King is dressed for both of us’. “It was in London as a young man that Gandhi first learned to petition, to draft letters, to make speeches. It was here where he was treated fairly by his colleagues at the Inner Temple; that the foundations were laid for his battles against segregation and discrimination,” the prime minister continued.

“And even years later, when he was striving for Indian independence, his respect for the people of this country shone through. If Gandhi could have lived anywhere in the world outside India , he said it would have been here in London. We should be proud of that and we should be proud of him.” Sajid Javid MP (@sajidjavid) Moving tributes to Gandhi as statue unveiled in Parliament Square. His values just as relevant today #GandhiStatue pic.twitter.com/4sf5pvGtlj March 14, 2015 Cameron said that many of Gandhi’s teachings remain as potent today as when he first made them. “‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others’ and: ‘Be the change that you want to see in the world’ remain timeless, profound and inspiring words of wisdom,” he said.

UK - London - Westminster: Parliament Square - Abraham Lin… | Flickr Wally Gobetz By: Wally Gobetz UK - London - Westminster: Parliament Square - Abraham Lincoln statue The Parliament Square statue of Abraham Lincoln, erected in 1920 is a copy of the coloassal 1887 Standing Lincoln in Chicago's Lincoln Park by Augustus St. Gaudens. The original is often considered the finest portrait statue in the United States. Another replica stands outside Lincoln's tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL. The figure suggests that President Lincoln is about to make an important speech. The chair behind him symbolizes the power and authority of the presidency. Parliament Square is a square outside the north-western end of the Palace of Westminster . It was laid out in 1868 by Sir Charles Barry in order to open up the space around the Palace and improve traffic flow, and featured London's first traffic signals. Its original features included the Buxton Memorial Fountain, which was removed in 1940 and placed in its present position in nearby Victoria Tower Gardens in 1957. In 1950 the square was redesigned by George Grey Wornum.

The east side of the Square, lying opposite one of the key entrances to the Palace of Westminster , has historically been a common site of protest against government action or inaction. Other sculptures in the Square include Winston Churchill , George Canning, Robert Peel , Lord Palmerston , Jan Christian Smuts , Earl of Derby , and Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. Done Winston Churchill Statue at Parliament Square - Review of Winston Churchill Statue, London, England - TripAdvisor “Winston Churchill Statue at Parliament Square” Reviewed February 25, 2014 One of the great Britons of his generation if not in history, a statue to the great Winston Churchill can be found in Parliament Square, facing the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben). The bronze statue, created by Ivor Roberts-Jones in 1973 is of a stern looking Churchill in a war coat, immortalising the man as the WWII figure that many know and best remember him. The Churchill statue was unveiled by Lady Churchill, while Queen Elizabeth II attended and gave speech at the event. At the Parliament Square, you can find seven other important Statesman, mostly British Prime Ministers and the well noted US President Abraham Lincoln and South African President Nelson Mandela.

You can easily stop by the Parliament Square to see the Churchill Statues before or after visiting the Westminster attractions in the area. Visited December 2013 Abraham Lincoln Statue in London, England Photograph by Joseph Schaller Saint Gaudens Statue in London, England Visitors to Parliament Square sometimes wonder why this Lincoln statue came to be placed there. Created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, it's a full-size replica of his acclaimed original in Chicago's Lincoln Park. The Saint-Gaudens statue was not intended for this spot, however. It replaces a replica of a controversial statue by George Barnard previously installed in Cincinnati, Ohio. When the president's son Robert heard that the Barnard statue was headed for London, he was appalled, calling it "simply horrible." Because of his influence, the Saint-Gaudens work was dedicated in London on July 28, 1920. The Barnard statue replica, dubbed the "stomach ache statue" because of the placement of the hands, went to Manchester, England instead. &LT;Click on picture to continue.

Gandhi statue unveiled near Churchill's in London Gandhi statue unveiled near Churchill's in London Katherine Haddon Share View photos Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley (3L) unveils a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square in central London on March 14, 2015. Gandhi joins figures including Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill the square opposite Big Ben. (AFP Photo/Niklas Halle'n) More London (AFP) - A statue of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on Saturday at the symbolic heart of the British establishment that once loathed him for his campaign against imperial rule. Gandhi joins figures including Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill, who described him as a half-naked "fakir", in London's Parliament Square, opposite Big Ben and the House of Commons. Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the bronze statue at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan -- who gave a speech quoting Gandhi's principles -- and Gandhi's grandson, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Hundreds of people gathered to watch, while a band played Indian classical music and Indian flags flew around the square.

Despite such pomp, Gandhi was historically resented by many in Westminster as the leader of the non-violent campaign for Indian independence from Britain, which was granted in 1947. In a speech at the event, Cameron hailed Gandhi as "one of the towering figures in the history of world politics" and said that the statue would give him "an eternal home in our country". The unveiling marks the latest step in Britain's efforts to recast both its past and present in India, once known as the "jewel in the crown" of the British empire. In 2013, Cameron became the first British premier to visit the site of a notorious massacre in Amritsar in 1919 where troops under British control gunned down hundreds of unarmed protestors. He described the killings as "shameful" but stopped short of a public apology. Cameron has also made boosting economic ties between India and Britain -- home to some 1.5 million members of the Indian diaspora -- a priority. When he came to power in 2010, he said he wanted to double trade with India by this year.

Jaitley, who has described the relationship with Britain as a "partnership of equals", said the unveiling marked the coming together of the world's oldest and largest democracy. But he noted the irony of Gandhi's statue being located so close to that of Churchill, who was fiercely opposed to Indian independence. - 'Should be trampled by elephant' - The statue, which stands nine feet (2.7 metres) high, is by respected sculptor Philip Jackson and is based on a photograph of Gandhi taken when he visited London in 1931. It marks 100 years since Gandhi returned to India from South Africa, where he was repeatedly jailed for pressing the rights of Indians and started his non-violent campaign of civil disobedience. It faces the Houses of Parliament and is situated between the statues of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela and US president Abraham Lincoln, who decreed freedom for Confederacy slaves in 1863. Churchill, whose statue is a stone's throw from Gandhi's on the other side of the square, took an extremely dim view of the Indian barrister's actions.

"It is alarming and nauseating to see Mr Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer now posing as a fakir (ascetic) of a type well known in the east, striding half-naked up the steps of the vice-regal palace," he said in 1931. Churchill even suggested that Gandhi should be "trampled on by an enormous elephant" because of his campaign against British rule, according to biographers. The Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust raised one million pounds (1.4 million euros, $1.5 million) of donations in six months for the project, including Â£100,000 from billionaire Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. Reblog Parliament Square | Exploring London 10 iconic London film locations…3. The Houses of Parliament explode in V for Vendetta… February 17, 2016 The site of the climatic showdown in V for Vendetta between the silent hoards of masked protestors and the military, Parliament Square is featured in some dramatic aerial shots before, moments after midnight in the early hours of 5th November, the Houses of Parliament explode to the sprightly sounds of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

Of course, it’s far from the only London location to feature in the 2006 film which is largely set in the city – among other locations are Trafalgar Square where the protestors gather before marching down Whitehall, and the Old Bailey which explodes in the first scene as well as the former Underground station of Aldwych – located on a former spur line of Piccadilly Line which closed to the public in 1994. Meanwhile, the Houses of Parliament – also known as the Palace of Westminster (for more on its history, head here ) – and the Clock Tower (see our Treasures of London article for more here ) have made innumerable appearances on the big screen, including in several Bond films including Thunderbolt (1965), 28 Days Later (2002), and, more recently, in Suffragette (2015).

Share this: This Week in London – Marking VE Day’s 70th; Rut Blees Luxemburg at the Museum of London; and India’s Sidi community on show at the NPG… May 7, 2015 • Three days of events kick off in London tomorrow to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Events will include a Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall at 3pm tomorrow (Friday) coinciding with two minutes national silence while Trafalgar Square – scene of VE Day celebrations in 1945 – will host a photographic exhibition of images taken on the day 70 years ago (the same images will be on show at City Hall from tomorrow until 5th June) and, at 9.32pm, a beacon will be lit at the Tower of London as part of a nation wide beacon-lighting event. On Saturday at 11am, bells will ring out across the city to mark the celebration and at night, a star-studded 1940s-themed concert will be held on Horse Guards Parade (broadcast on BBC One).

Meanwhile, on Sunday, following a service in Westminster Abbey, a parade of current and veteran military personnel will head around Parliament Square and down Whitehall, past the balcony of HM Treasury where former PM Sir Winston Churchill made his historic appearance before crowds on the day, to Horse Guards. A flypast of current and historic RAF aircraft will coincide with the parade and from 1pm the Band of the Grenadier Guards will be playing music from the 1940s in Trafalgar Square. Meanwhile, starting tomorrow, special V-shaped lights will be used to illuminate Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament as a tribute. For more information, see . • The works of leading London-based photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg are on show in at new exhibition at the Museum of London in the City. London Dust will feature three major newly acquired works by Luxemburg including Aplomb – St Paul’s, 2013, Walkie-Talkie Melted My Golden Calf, 2013, and the film London/Winterreise, 2013.

Blees Luxemburg’s images – others of which are also featured in the exhibition – contrast idealised architectural computer-generated visions of London that clad hoardings at City-building sites with the gritty, unpolished reality surrounding these. In particular they focus on a proposed 64 floor skyscraper, The Pinnacle, which rose only seven stories before lack of funding brought the work to a halt. The free exhibition runs until 10th January next year. For more, see . • The Talk: The Cutting Edge – Weapons at the Battle of Waterloo. Paul Wilcox, director of the Arms and Armour Research Institute at the University of Huddersfield, will talk about about the weapons used at Waterloo with a chance to get ‘hands-on’ with some period weapons as part of a series of events at Aspley House, the former home of the Iron Duke at Hyde Park Corner, to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. To be held on Monday, 11th May, from 2.30pm to 4pm. Admission charge applies and booking is essential – see for more. • On Now: On Belonging: Photographs of Indians of African Descent.

A selection of ground-breaking photographs depicting the Sidi community – an African minority living in India – is on show at the National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar Square. The works, taken between 2005 and 2011, are those of acclaimed contemporary Indian photographer Ketaki Sheth and the exhibition is his first solo display in the UK. They provide an insight into the lives of the Sidi, and include images of a young woman named Munira awaiting her arranged wedding, young boys playing street games, and the exorcism of spirits from a woman as a young girl watches. Admission is free. Runs in Room 33 until 31st August. For more, see . Send all items for inclusion to exploringlondon@gmail.com. Share this: 10 London sites associated with Sir Winston Churchill – 9. Memorialising Churchill… April 8, 2015 There are numerous memorials to Sir Winston Churchill around London and today we’ll look at a handful of them (while next week we’ll take a look at a couple of the most unusual memorials).

We’ve already looked at the most famous statue of him in Parliament Square (in an earlier post here ), but here’s some more… • Allies, Mayfair. These almost life-size bronze statues, located at the juncture of Old and New Bond Streets, depict Churchill and US President Franklin D Roosevelt in an informal pose, sitting and talking together on a bench. The sculpture was a gift from the Bond Street Association to the City of Westminster and was unveiled by Princess Margaret on 2nd May, 1995 commemorating 50 years since the end of World War II. It is the work of US sculptor Lawrence Holofcener . There’s a space between the two World War II leaders where the passerby can sit and have their picture taken between them. • Member’s Lobby, House of Commons. We’ve already mentioned this bronze statue (see our previous post here ), erected in 1969, which stands just outside Churchill Arch opposite one of another former PM, David Lloyd George. It is the work of Croatian-born sculptor Oscar Nemon who also created numerous other busts of the former PM now located both in the UK (one of which is mentioned below) and around the world. • Great Hall, Guildhall.

Commissioned by the Corporation of the City of London and unveiled in 1955, this bronze statue shows Churchill, wearing a suit and bow tie, seated in an armchair and looking ahead. Another work of Nemon’s, it was commissioned as a tribute to “the greatest statesman of his age and the nation’s leader in the Great War of 1939-1945”. • Outside former Conservative Club, Wanstead. A very thick-necked bust of Churchill, erected in 1968, sits outside the 18th century mansion in Wanstead High Street, north-east London, which was once the Conservative Club and is now occupied by a restaurant. The bigger than life-sized bust is the work of Italian artist Luigi Fironi and stands on a plinth once part of old Waterloo Bridge. Churchill was the Conservative member for this area between 1924-1964 and based at the club from 1930 to 1940. • Woodford Green.

Another tribute from his former constituents, this full length bronze statue in north-east London is the work of Scottish artist David McFall and was unveiled in 1959 in the presence of Churchill himself and Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery. Churchill was the MP for Woodford between 1945 and 1964. Share this: Treasures of London – Winston Churchill statue, Parliament Square… January 23, 2015 Former British PM, Sir Winston Churchill, died 50 years ago tomorrow, so we thought it was a good time to take a look at one of London’s most iconic statues. Standing tall among some of the towering figures of British politics (and others), the over life-sized bronze statue of Sir Winston Churchill on Parliament Square in Whitehall was designed by Welsh sculptor Ivor Roberts-Jones and is located on a site on the square’s north-east corner chosen by the great man himself.

Standing 12 feet (3.6 metres) high on an eight foot (2.4 metre) high pedestal opposite the Houses of Parliament (which he faces), Churchill, who was 90 when he died, is portrayed during the years of World War II wearing a navy greatcoat but wears no hat and leans on a cane. The full length, Grade II-listed statue, which Roberts-Jones was commissioned to create in 1970, was unveiled by Lady Churchill with the aid of Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. Interestingly, it’s said that there’s a mild electric current which runs through the statue to ensure pigeons don’t perch and snow doesn’t gather on his head. Another quirky fact – Roberts-Jones was subsequently commissioned to make another Churchill statue in 1977 – this one for New Orleans. PICTURE: Adam Carr This Week in London – New Year’s Eve sold out; New Year’s Day Parade; and, National Gallery buys Corot work… December 18, 2014 • All 100,000 tickets for London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks are now booked, the Greater London Authority announced this week.

They’ve advised those without a ticket to avoid the area around Embankment and South Bank on the night, saying that the best alternative view of the fireworks will be live on BBC One. Meanwhile, don’t forget the New Year’s Day Parade which will kick off in Piccadilly (near junction with Berkeley Street) from noon on New Year’s Day. The parade – which takes in Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall before finishing at 3.30pm at Parliament Square in Westminster – will feature thousands of performers. Grandstand tickets are available. For more, see . • The National Gallery has acquired French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s work, The Four Times of Day, it was announced this month. The 1858 work, acquired with the aid of the Art Fund, has something of a star-studded pedigree – it was bought by Frederic, Lord Leighton, in 1865, and the four large panels were displayed at his London home until his death. In the same family collection for more than a century after that, they have been on loan to the National Gallery since 1997.

They complement 21 other paintings by Corot in the gallery’s collection. The Four Times of Day can be seen in Room 41. Entry is free. For more, see . Exploring London is taking a break over Christmas, so this will be the last This Week in London update until mid-January. But we’ll still be posting some of our other usual updates including our most popular posts for 2014 round-up! Share this: LondonLife – Remembering Mandela… December 10, 2013 A bust of the anti-apartheid activist and global icon Nelson Mandela at the South Bank Centre has become one of several places in London where people are paying their respects to the former South African president and Noble Peace Prize winner who died last Thursday at the age of 95. The bust – below which are a quoted Mandela’s words, “The struggle is my life” – was erected in 1985 by the Greater London Council. A full-length, larger-than-life statue of Mandela, by Ian Walters, stands in Parliament Square in Whitehall – it was unveiled in 2007 by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown with Mandela himself in attendance.

Share this: This Week In London: The London that might have been; the V&A’s Christmas tree; Christmas celebrations at the Geffrye; and, World War II recollections… December 5, 2013 • A new exhibition looking at the London that might have been opened at Wellington Arch near Hyde Park Corner yesterday. Almost Lost: London’s Buildings Loved and Loathed uses digital technology to look at how several redevelopment proposals – including a 1950s conceptual scheme for a giant conservatory supporting tower blocks over Soho and a 1960s plan to redevelop Whitehall which including demolishing most of the Victorian and Edwardian buildings around Parliament Square – would have changed the face of the city. The exhibition also looks at how the latest developments in digital mapping can be used in the future and features ‘Pigeon-Sim’ which provides a bird’s-eye view of the city’s buildings with an interactive flight through a 3D photorealistic model of the city. The exhibition runs until 2nd February. Admission charge applies. For more, see • A specially commissioned Christmas tree has been unveiled at the V&A in South Kensington.

The 4.75 metre high ‘Red Velvet Tree of Love’ is the work of artists Helen and Colin David and will stand in the museum’s grand entrance until 6th January. The design of the tree – which is coated in red flocking and decorated with 79 sets of hand cast antlers and 67 white, heart shaped baubles – was inspired by an 1860 HFC Rampendahl chair in the V&A’s collection which features a real antler frame and velvet upholstery. For more, see . • The annual Christmas Past exhibition is once again open at the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch. Festive decorations have transformed the museum’s rooms and give an insight into how the English middle classes celebrated in times gone past. The exhibition runs until 5th January. Admission is free. Accompanying the exhibition are a series of events including an open evening celebrating an Edwardian Christmas between 5pm-8pm tonight. For more, see . • The World War II experience of Chelsea Pensioners are being commemorated in a new display in the White Space Gallery at the National Army Museum in Chelsea.

The Old and the Bold is the culmination of a year long collaboration between the museum and the Royal Hospital Chelsea and features nine interviews with 14 In-Pensioners. Their accounts span iconic moments in World War II history – from D-Day to North Africa and the Falklands and are supported by items from the museum’s collection. Runs until 3rd January. Admission is free. For more, see . Share this: 10 Historic London Garden Squares…2. Parliament Square May 1, 2013 Located in one of the most prominent sites in London, Parliament Square is these days perhaps best known as a protest site for those wanting to attract Parliament’s eye. And while, unlike say, Trafalgar Square, many visitors to London may not know its name, its proximity to the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge and Westminster Abbey means it’s rarely off anyone’s tourist agenda. The history of the square goes back to 1868 when architect Sir Charles Barry (responsible for the design of the Houses of Parliament) designed a square to improve traffic flow in the area (and demolished many buildings – apparently the area was a slum – in the process).

The roads around the square featured London’s first traffic signals (it used semaphore arms rather than lights and was installed at the meeting of Great George and Bridge Streets) and in addition the square was originally the location for the Buxton Memorial Fountain which moved to its present position in Victoria Tower Gardens in 1940 (see our earlier post on the fountain here ). In 1950, the entire square was redesigned by architect George Grey Wornum. The square is home to a plethora of statues including former PMs Sir Winston Churchill, a relatively recent statue of David Lloyd George (pictured), Sir Robert Peel (also the founder of the Metropolitan Police Force – see our earlier post here ), Benjamin Disraeli, the Earl of Derby and Lord Palmerston as well as South African PM Jan Christian Smuts and, (if you count the space in front of Middlesex Guildhall), US President Abraham Lincoln (a replica of a statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago) and former Foreign Secretary and PM George Canning. Among the last statues added was a nine foot high bronze figure of Nelson Mandela which was placed in the square in 2007 after an unsuccessful push to have it located in Trafalgar Square.

Among the most high profile of protests to have been held there is that of the late peace campaigner Brian Haw who camped on the square for 10 years until 2010. Among the most recent protests this year has been a colourful demonstration by beekeepers, calling for a ban on pesticides. For more on London’s statues, see Peter Matthews’ London’s Statues and Monuments . Share this: LondonLife – Paper protestors fill Parliament Square… March 5, 2013 Jonathan Ross, Eddie Izzard, Amanda Holden, Tulisa and Gok Wan were among the thousands of people represented by paper protestors in Parliament Square, outside the Houses of Parliament, on Monday. The Fairtrade-backed protest marked the second week of ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’ and was aimed at sending a message to Prime Minister David Cameron to “do more to protect smallholder farmers from trade injustice”. More than 8,000 people have signed the online petition so far, creating a personalised “mini marcher” via Fairtrade’s partnership with Foldable.me . The final petition will be delivered to the PM on World Fair Trade Day in May ahead of the June meeting of the G8. For more on the Fairtrade Foundation, see .

Share this: Around London – Bells…and more bells; Olympic memorabilia; free wifi in the West End; The Arch returns to Kensington Gardens; and, Impressionists at the RA… July 26, 2012 • It’s all about the Olympics in London this week and many of the events – like the Opening Ceremony and Torch Relay (see last week’s post ) – are well covered elsewhere, but we thought we’d mention a couple of things in relation to the Games: The first is the ‘All the Bells’ project which will see bells across London being rung at 8:12am on Friday to “ring in” the first day of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes, commissioned as part of the London 2012 Festival, is the brainchild of Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed and will involve thousands of bells across the nation. Speaking of bells, the City of London has announced that some of the City’s churches will be ringing continuously during the three Olympic marathon events – the men’s, women’s, and Paralympic events.

As many as 57 of the country’s most experienced bell ringers, co-ordinated by the Ancient Society of College Youths (a ringing society created in London in 1637) will be working for three to four hours continuously at churches including St Paul’s Cathedral, St Mary le Bow, St Lawrence Jewry, St Magnus the Martyr, St Vedast and St Katharine Cree. During the women’s marathon, an all-female band will be attempting a peal at St Paul’s, the first all-woman attempt on the bells. (Apologies, this article had originally had the time for the bell ringing at 8.12pm – it is in the morning, not the evening!) A new exhibition exploring London’s Olympic history has opened at the British Library. Olympex 2012: Collecting the Olympic Games features a range of memorabilia including a swimming costume and the finishing tape broken by – later disqualified – marathon runner Dorando Pietri from the 1908 London Games (see our earlier post for more on him) as well as posters and artworks, stamps, letters and postcards.

The exhibition also features audio interviews with Olympians including William (Bill) Roberts, a relay runner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and Dorothy Tyler, a medal-winning high jumper who competed in the 1936 and 1948 Olympics. Presented by the British Library and International Olympic Committee, the exhibition runs until 9th September at the library in St Pancras. Entry is free. For more, see . PICTURE: Rare 1948 postcard by an unknown artist (c) Private collection/IOC • A new free wifi network has been launched in London’s West End. Westminster City Council and telco O2 launched the network this week. It will initially cover Oxford and Regent Streets, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square with further areas in Westminster and Covent Garden the next to be included in the network. A once-only registration process is required to join. • Henry Moore’s famous sculpture, The Arch, has been returned to its original home in Kensington Gardens.

The six metre high work was presented to the nation by Moore in 1980 and was positioned on the north bank of the Long Water until 1996 when the structure became unstable and was placed in storage. In late 2010, the Royal Parks began a project with The Henry Moore Foundation to see if the work could be returned to the gardens. Work began to restore the piece – which consists of seven stones weighing 37 tonnes – to its original location earlier this year. For more on Kensington Gardens, see . • On Now: From Paris: A Taste for Impressionism. This Royal Academy of Arts exhibition at Burlington House features 70 works from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and includes works by Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Degas, Sisley, Morisot and Renoir as well as those of post-Impressionist artists Corot, Théodore Rousseau and J-F. Millet, and ‘academic’ paintings by Gérôme, Alma-Tadema and Bouguereau. Runs until 23rd September. Admission charge applies. See for more.

Share this: Around London – Europe’s oldest intact book at British Library; 100 days to the Games; world’s largest archaeological archive; the London Marathon; and, Turner at the National Gallery… April 19, 2012 • The British Library has paid £9 million for a 7th century text, the St Cuthbert Gospel, which is also the oldest intact European book. The acquisition follows the library’s most successful fund-raising effort ever – it included a £4.5 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The book – a Gospel of John bound in beautifully tooled red leather – was produced in north-east England in the late 7th century and was placed in the saint’s coffin after his death on the Isle of Lindisfarne in 698. It was retrieved when the coffin was opened at Durham Cathedral in 1104. The Gospel is on display in the Sir John Ritblat Treasures Gallery at the library in St Pancras and following a conservation review, it is anticipated it will soon be displayed with the pages open for the first time. There will be a public event celebrating the acquisition on 15th May. For more, see .

• London this week marked 100 days until the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. This included unveiling the latest installation of the Olympic rings – made of 20,000 plants the 50 metre long rings are located in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the city’s west and can be seen from planes on the Heathrow flight path. The organising committee also announced the Red Arrows aerobatic display team will perform a nine-ship flypast in ‘big battle’ formation on the day of the Opening Ceremony (27th July) and stated that the games motto will be ‘Inspire a Generation’. For more, see . • The Museum of London’s archaeological archive – known as the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) – is officially the largest in the world according to Guinness World Records. The archive contains more than five million artefacts and the records of almost 8,500 excavations dating back to 1830.

Items in the archive include shoes dating back to Roman times, a 200-year-old set of false teeth, ‘witching bottles’ including one with human hair and toenails, and coffin plates from London’s cemeteries. The world record has been recorded as part of World Record London, a series of world record breaking events being held in the run-up to the Olympics. Others have included the Faberge Big Egg Hunt. • Thousands of people are expected to take part in the Virgin London Marathon this Sunday. The 26.2 mile route starts in Blackheath, passes through Woolwich and Greenwich and crosses the Thames at Tower Bridge before looping around the east end of London, through Canary Wharf, and the west along The Highway (formerly known as The Ratcliffe Highway) and Embankment to Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and finally to Buckingham Palace. The first London marathon was run in 1981. For more, see . • On Now: Turner Inspired – In the Light of Claude.

The first major presentation of 17th century artist Claude Gellée’s influence on the English romantic artist J M W Turner, the exhibition focuses on Claude-inspired themes which run through Turner’s work including “the evocation of light and air in landscape, the effect of light upon water and his often radical reworking of contemporary scenes”. The display includes works from large scale oils on canvas through to leaves from Turner’s pocket sketchbooks. Interestingly, the exhibition also explores the story behind the so-called Turner Bequest – that on his death, Turner linked himself to Claude forever by leaving the National Gallery two pictures – Dido building Carthage (1815) and Sun rising through Vapour: Fishermen cleaning and selling Fish (before 1807) – on condition that they were hung between two pictures by Claude, Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba (1648) and Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca (1648). Runs until 5th June. Admission charge applies. For more, see .

Share this: LondonLife – New Year’s Day Parade 2012 January 3, 2012 More than 8,500 performers – including those pictured celebrating the launch of London’s Olympic year – took part in this year’s New Year’s Day Parade in London, the wettest in the event’s 26 year history. But the wild weather didn’t put off the more than 500,000 people who turned out to watch the parade as it made its way from the starting point outside the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly via Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square. As many as 19 London boroughs submitted entries in a competition based on the themes of the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with Merton (its entry ‘From Horsepower To High Speed Rail’ featured animatronics) and the City of Westminster (its entry ‘Peter Pan’ involved a giant galleon and the The Sylvia Young Theatre School) announced as joint winners. For more on the parade, see . IMAGE: Courtesy of Where is it?

#12 November 25, 2011 The latest in the series in which we ask you to identify where in London this picture was taken and what it’s of. If you reckon you know the answer, leave a comment below. We’ll reveal the answer early next week. Good luck! And the answer is…this is part of the decorative facade of the Middlesex Guildhall which stands opposite the Houses of Parliament in Parliament Square. The building, which dates from 1912-13 and stands on the former site of the Westminster Abbey Sanctuary Tower and Old Belfry (where fugitives from the law could seek sanctuary), is now home to the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Designed by architect James Gibson, it is the latest in a series of buildings which stood on the site which have served as courthouses and the headquarters of the Middlesex County Council (the first Middlesex Guildhall was built here in 1889). Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as “art nouveau Gothic”, it features a series of medieval-looking decorative friezes and sculptures by Henry Charles Fehr.

The image pictured above shows one of the friezes – this one of the Duke of Northumberland offering the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey the Crown (known as the “Nine Days Queen”, she was later imprisoned and eventually executed on 12th February, 1554). Others show King John handing the Magna Carta to the English barons and the granting of the charter of Westminster Abbey. It was refurbished for use of the Supreme Court in 2007 and the court has occupied it since its creation in 2009. Interestingly, according to Ed Glinert of The London Compendium, it was here that courts martial were held of those suspected of giving aid to the enemy during World War I. Share this: LondonLife – The visit of the American President… May 25, 2011 President Barack Obama has been in London for the past two days, so Exploring London decided to take a break from our series on King James’ I’s London and instead, in honor of the president’s visit, take a look at where you’ll find some other US presidents in London. First up, it’s President George Washington.

A life-sized statue of the first US president stands outside the National Gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square. It’s a replica of an eighteenth century marble statue by Jean Antoine Houdon which stands in the State Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia. A gift of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1924. Civil War President Abraham Lincoln stands looking toward Parliament Square and the Houses of Parliament (pictured). The statue dates from 1920 – it was originally proposed to put a statue of President Lincoln in Parliament Square to mark the 1915 centenary of the last time the US and Britain were at war but the plans were put on ice until several years later. The statue, a gift of the US government, is a replica of the Chicago Lincoln Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. (There is also a bust of Lincoln inside the Royal Exchange building). Next in the chronology is President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose statue can be found on the north side of Grosvenor Gardens (overlooked by the vast and soon-to-be replaced US embassy).

This bronze was unveiled by the president’s wife, Eleanor, on the third anniversary of FDR’s death- 12th April, 1948. The statue depicts the president standing – apparently at Mrs Roosevelt’s insistence – instead of seated in a wheelchair. Across the gardens stands another wartime president, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A bronze by sculptor Robert Dean, this life-size statue was the gift of the US city of Kansas in 1989 and was unveiled by British PM Margaret Thatcher and US Ambassador Charles Price. It stands only a short distance from Eisenhower’s wartime HQ. (Grosvenor Square has also been home to then future US President John Adams who lived at number nine as the first US Ambassador to the Court of St James between 1786-97). A bronze bust of the 35th president, President John F. Kennedy, can be found on the corner of Park Crescent and Marylebone Road. Unveiled by his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, in 1965, it’s a copy of a bust located in the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Among those mooted for the future is one of President Ronald Reagan (also in Grosvenor Square), planning permission for which was granted by Westminster City Council in 2009. Share this: Famous Londoners – Sir Robert Peel March 22, 2011 Credited as the creator of the Metropolitan Police Force, Sir Robert Peel was a two-time Prime Minister who oversaw landmark social reforms in arenas ranging from the workplace and prisons to trade. Born on 5th February, 1788, into a wealthy Lancashire family (his father, also Robert Peel, was a cotton mill owner), Sir Robert was educated at Harrow and Oxford before entering parliament as part of the Duke of Wellington’s Tory government in 1809. He married in 1820 and he and his wife Julia Floyd, the youngest daughter of General Sir John Floyd, had five sons and two daughters. Having served in roles including under-secretary for wars and colonies and chief secretary for Ireland during his early political life, Sir Robert was appointed Home Secretary in 1822.

It was during his subsequent time in the office that he introduced many reforms related to prisons and law and order – including reducing the number of crimes punishable by death by about 100 – and at the same time ordered the foundation of the Metropolitan Police Force (the terms ‘Bobby’ and ‘Peeler’ are both references to his name). Having later spent time on the Opposition benches, he became Prime Minister in 1834 after Earl Grey’s Whig Government was dismissed by King William IV. It was during this time that he issued the famous Tamworth Manifesto, seen as a defining moment in the creation of the Conservative Party. But frustrated at the minority government, he resigned a year later. It wasn’t until 1841 that Sir Robert returned to government, again becoming Prime Minister. Subsequent years saw him overseeing the introduction of laws forbidding the employment of women and children underground, limiting working hours for women and children in factories, and, after a long fight, repealing the trade-restricting Corn Laws – a party-splitting act which was apparently a bid to free up more food for the Irish population then in the midst of a devastating famine.

Sir Robert resigned from politics in 1846 and died four years later on 2nd July, 1850, after he was injured falling from a horse in Constitution Hill, London. He was buried at his home, Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire. The city’s most famous statue of Sir Robert stands in Parliament Square, outside the Palace of Westminster. Curious London memorials – 6. The Buxton Memorial Fountain February 9, 2011 Standing in Victoria Tower Gardens at the southern end of the Houses of Parliament, not far from more high profile monuments such as Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais, is a memorial to those who fought for the emancipation of slaves. The gothic memorial, designed by Samuel Sanders Tuelon, was erected in 1865 by MP Charles Buxton to commemorate the work of his father, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton and his associates including William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, Zachary Macaulay, Henry Brougham, and Dr Stephen Lushington – all of whom played important roles in the eventual passing of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.

Sir Thomas, a founding member of the Anti-Slavery Society along with Wilberforce and Clarkson, took over as leader of the abolitionist movement in parliament after Wilberforce retired in 1825. The memorial, which looks a little like a smaller version of the Albert Memorial (without the figure within) and is actually a public drinking fountain, was originally erected in Parliament Square but was removed in 1949 and placed in its current location in 1957, marking the 150th anniversary of the 1807 Act which abolished the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The memorial originally bore eight statues representing the rulers of Britain from the Roman era to Queen Victoria but these were long since stolen. It as restored by Royal Parks in the mid-Noughties and unveiled again on the 27th March, 2007, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the same act.

PICTURE: © Giles Barnard A good stop between Westmister Abbey and Big Ben - Review of Parliament Square, London, England - TripAdvisor “A good stop between Westmister Abbey and Big Ben” Reviewed June 3, 2013 In sort it is a small square of grass in the middle of historical Westminster. But there are lots of very interesting bits around. It is full of statues of famous people and it right next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament with a brilliant view of Big Ben. It wasn't busy when I was there but I can imagine it getting really busy if it's hot and/or in the middle of the tourist season but I think it's well worth a picnic or visit if you are in the area, if not go to one of the big parks. Visited July 2012 “Not to miss” Reviewed May 17, 2013 Parliament Square is a beautiful Square, surrounded by magnificent, famous and well-known buildings. These buildings are working buildings involved in the government, church and legal aspects of British life. Unfortunately the Square gets very crowded, both by tourists, and by traffic. To avoid times of traffic is difficult, if not impossible.

It is best to accept the situation. It does tend to be quieter on Sundays, - and there is less traffic. The Square offers a magnificent panorama of the surrounding buildings. To the South of the Square are Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and turning clockwise you see the magnificence of the Church of England – Westminster Abbey, and in front, and somewhat dwarfed by the Abbey behind, the smaller church of St Margaret. Turning around, again clockwise, gives views of the recently restored Law buildings, festooned with beautiful frescoes. The Square itself is a grassed area, with paved walkways. It is enjoyable to go round and see the statues of politicians, and statesmen. It is a surprise to see an imposing statue of the US president Abraham Lincoln. The major statue in the Square is that of Winston Churchill, the British Wartime Prime Minister. This statue is a massive and impressive dark bronze statue. Do not miss the large statue of Queen Boadicea mounted in her chariot. This statue is found opposite Big Ben at the entrance to the Square. Queen Boadicea was head of the Iceni tribe from the East of Britain, and attacked and burnt many Roman towns.

The roads from the Square lead out to many important places. In the corner of the Square adjacent to Big Ben the road leads along the Embankment and offers a pleasant riverside walk to Waterloo. Next to Big Ben the road runs across Westminster Bridge. The views from this bridge are stunning, particularly the views of the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament. The views of Parliament and Big Ben are particularly stunning at night because the buildings are beautifully illuminated. The road leading out between the Abbey and the Houses of Parliament passes several important statues – including Oliver Cromwell. It also passes the Jewel House, itself worth a visit. This road leads to the West bank of the Thames, past government buildings, and on to the Tate Britain Gallery. The road leading out from the North West leads to Victoria, and going round clockwise you will find Birdcage Walk which leads into St James’ Gardens. The next road, turning clockwise is Whitehall, which leads up to Trafalgar Square past Downing Street, the Cenotaph, and Horse Guards parade. It is worth avoiding Westminster Underground Station. It tends to get very busy. Depending on where you are coming from the roads into the Square are well worth walking along.

It is worth going to Waterloo, walking along the Thames, and onto Westminster Bridge. However, the walk from Vauxhall, across Vauxhall Bridge, then down Millbank walking along the river is also very rewarding. It is worth noting that travel by the Underground in London is best avoided. As the trains run underground there are no sights to see. It is always best to plan your visit to a particular location, and either walk or use buses from there. Visited May 2013

Question: Which US president has a statue in Parliament Square
Answer: Abraham Lincoln